Seven senior baseball players were selected to represent Servite Baseball in Friday’s Trinity League All-Star Game and Senior Showcase. The annual game will be held at Ryan Lemmon Stadium in Irvine at 7:30pm with a home run contest scheduled before the game. Christian Ciuffetelli, Dawson Gilbert, Jarred Greene, Jake Kenny, Grant Newton, Tanner Smith and Matthew Strother will don their Friar uniforms for the final time in their high school careers as they compete amongst some of the top players in Orange County. Admission is $7 (adults), $5 (seniors 60+) and children (under 12) are free.
Christian Ciuffetelli (RHP/Oregon)– Ciuffetelli was the 2018 Trinity League Co-Pitcher of the Year and a 2017 All-Trinity League selection. He finished his senior season with a 7-3 overall record in 12 starts while ending league play with a 4-1 mark. He tallied 68 strikeouts in 65 innings of work and posted a .646 ERA. He threw a no-hitter against Mater Dei on May 7th and was two fielding errors shy of the perfect game. Ciuffetelli finished his three-year career with a 2.07 ERA and 110 strikeouts in 128.2 innings pitched for Servite. He was also selected to participate in the Orange County All-Star game that was held earlier this week at Glover Stadium.
Dawson Gilbert (SS)– A three-year Varsity letterman, Gilbert has played both second base and shortstop for the Friars. In his senior season he led the team in runs scored (23), walks (24) and stolen bases (16) while batting .245 as the leadoff hitter. Gilbert also opened the season with an 11-game hit streak with two multi-hit games in that stretch.
Jarred Greene (2B/UC Santa Barbara)– A 2017 All-Trinity League selection, Greene served as the designated hitter for the Friars last season before taking over duties at second base for his senior year. In 2018, he led the team in RBIs (21), extra base hits (14), triples (5), on base percentage (.450) and slugging percentage (.632) while tying for the most home runs on the season with 4. He also competed in the National Classic Home Run Derby finishing as runner-up with 14 big flies on the day including 7 in the finals. In addition, he hit a grand slam on senior night vs. Mater Dei to lead the Friars to a 5-3 win over the Monarchs while clinching the series victory. He finished his career with a .355 batting average after hitting .322 this season.
Jake Kenny (LHP)– Kenny was selected 2nd Team All-Trinity League in 2018 after finishing league play with a 1.71 ERA and 16 strikeouts in 16.1 innings pitched. On the season he tallied 35 strikeouts and a 1.18 ERA in 15 appearances while finishing with a 1-1 record and 2 saves as a reliever.
Grant Newton (RHP/UC Santa Barbara)– Newton was awarded 2017 and 2018 All-Trinity League Honorable Mention honors finishing league play this season with a 1.38 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 25.1 innings of work while amassing 61 Ks on the year and 91 in his three-year career.
Tanner Smith (OF/Oregon)– A four-year Varsity letterman for the Friars, Smith capped an impressive high school career by setting the new school record for most games played with 118 and most at bats with 339 breaking the previous marks set by former major leaguer Ryan Garko ’98. He was awarded 1st Team All-Trinity League in 2017 and selected to play in the 2018 Orange County All-Star game as well. Smith hit .323 this year with 17 RBIs and 20 runs scored while finishing second on the team in hits with 30 including 10 extra base knocks. He hit a walk-off three-run home run vs. American Fork earlier this season, finishing the game with four hits.
Matthew Strother (RHP/1B UC Santa Barbara)– As part of the starting pitching rotation and the cleanup hitter for the Friars, Strother did it all this season earning 2nd Team All-Trinity League honors. He led the team in batting average (.361), hits (35), multi-hit games (9) and doubles (9) while also pitching 37.1 innings for Servite finishing with a 4-1 record and 1 save in 9 appearances. He also tallied 35 strikeouts on the mound while posting a 2.43 ERA. In addition, Strother and Greene were named to the National Classic All-Tournament team earlier this season.
Good luck Friars, we know you will continue to represent the Servite community well!
